Hourglass
by GallyandBlack
Summary: A rich prince visiting from a far away land and a poor thief, their paths were never meant to cross. But the spark they felt when they saw each other was undeniable. Now all the prince has to do is find her before time runs out. The hourglass is ticking.
1. Prologue

**So this is an idea that came to me while I was just fooling around on youtube and found this Arabic belly dancing music and was like 'hey, this could be kind of cool maybe I should write it out', which leads us to where we are today.**

**I've read (and LOVED) so many stores on here where Sasuke is the prince and Sakura is the pore peasant girl and he finds her by chance and they fall in love and blah blah blah. So I just figured, why not spice it up a bit and give our dear Sakura-chan a little personality? Hehe, Sakura is always portrayed as so sweet and innocent that I thought it would be fun to make her all criminal-ish (a.k.a. a thief).**

**Summary: He was a visiting prince with all the riches of the world. She was a thief struggling to survive. Two people like them were never supposed to meet. But when their eyes met across the crowded streets, the spark was undeniable. Now, our prince just has to find her before his time runs out. The hourglass is ticking. **

**Disclaimer: I do not (WHY CRUEL WORLD WHY?) own Naruto**

Sakura watched as an old man with thinning grey hair locked the door to his shop from the ally across the street. This was a new store for her and the adrenalin was pumping through her veins. In her head she counted to two hundred before slipping across the street. The dark night sky hid her as she dashed into the shadows of the small store. With the festival going on, most people were over on the main roads and only the occasional person or two had passed by in the past hour Sakura had been sitting and waiting.

Reaching into the pocket of her old worn pants, she pulled out a thin piece of twisted metal. Looking quickly once more to make sure no one was around, she stepped out of the shadows and came to kneel in front of the door. Jamming the piece of metal into the keyhole, she expertly twisted it back and forth until she heard a satisfying 'click'. Turning the knob, she stepped into the store, closing and relocking the door behind her.

Looking around, she almost started salivating as she took in the rows of food. It had been almost three days since she had eaten anything.

Moving quickly, the pinkette- dressed entirely in black and dark brown, combed the aisles for good picks. Taking a container of canned peaches off the shelf, she quickly rearranged the remaining cans to cover the hole she created.

Moving to the next aisle she breathed in deeply through her nose the smell of coffee and stared hungrily at the large burlap sacks filed with the sweet smelling beans lined up down the aisle. Extracting a small cloth sack from her dark brown vest pocket, she quickly took a few handfuls and poured them into the bag, pulling the drawstring tight when it was full. Moving her hand through the beans, she smoothed out the indents left by her hand until it looked exactly the way had before.

As Sakura continued moving through the store she picked up little items, one's she was sure would go over looked, and covered up the holes she left behind.

Approaching the door, she shift the weight of the items into her other arm so that she could reach back into her ripped black pants to extract her wire. Just as she was reaching for the handle she saw the silhouette of a man moving towards the store. He was barely ten feet away.

Gasping quietly, Sakura ducked down and dashing back behind one of the tall shelves. Judging by the slow, shuffled stride of the person outside and the fact that they were unlocking the door, which meant they had a key, there was a good chance that it was the owner of the store who had just entered. The old man who owned the small grocery store was well into his eighties and had trouble seeing, something that Sakura prayed meant that he hadn't seen her.

There was some shuffling around and the sound of the cash register being opened then the sound of feet moving back towards the door. Sakura let out a silent sigh of relief as she sagged slightly, her heart rate gradually slowing down.

Loosening the death grip she had on the items in her hands she allowed herself to breath again as she heard the old man open the door. But then she felt a shift, something move in her arms and suddenly a orange was falling out of her arms and down, down onto the floor. The dull thud it made seemed almost deafening in the silence and Sakura felt her heart start to race again, this time twice as fast, as the footsteps in the front of the store stopped before turning and coming towards her.

Panicking, Sakura jumped behind another shelf, further away from the fallen orange. Peeking out from around the side, she watched the hunched form of the old man appear out from between one of the other aisles and observed with baited breath as he slowly leaned down, plucking the orange up off the floor.

He stared at it for a moment before reaching over and putting it back in the crate with the others just a few feet in front of were he was. As he turned to leave again, Sakura let out an almost silent breath of relief, nearly falling to the floor. But it hadn't been silent enough because for a second time the old man's footsteps stopped before moving back towards her.

Sakura's heart almost burst as she turned her panicky gaze back and forth, looking for a new hiding spot. Seeing a display crate of coconuts nestled between a few other taller boxes, she dove for the spot, just barely managing to pull her legs in before the old man turned down the aisle. He stood there for a minute, looking for what had created the soft sigh he had heard earlier. But after a few minutes, he shrugged it off as nothing more than his old mind playing tricks on him and walked back to the door, exiting and locking it behind him.

Leaning her head against the crate behind her, Sakura choked back a sob of relief. As she rose to her feet, she looked around cautiously. Tonight had been far to close.

Grabbing a coconut from the crate in front of her, Sakura ran to the entrance and grabbed her lock pick out of her pocket. Finally exiting, she locked the door and dashed off into the allies.

Sakura ran as quickly as she could through the narrow back streets without tripping or dropping any of the items in her arms. Ino was going to kill her!

Finally reaching her street, Sakura ran down the road and skidded to a stop in front of an old run down apartment. She was just about to reach for her key when the door was wrenched open revealing a very angry Ino.

"You're late forehead," she fumed.

"I know I'm sorry!"

"We have to been there in five minutes and it'll take at least ten to get there with all the crowds," Ino continued to rant even as her friend moved past her and into the house, setting her stolen items down on the table. Judging by the fact that her sister hadn't come to steal the canned peaches and her mother hadn't come to chastise her for her actions; she assumed that both had already left for the festival.

"Let's go forehead," Ino called as she ran out of the house.

Sighing, Sakura ran to follow her best friend, locking the door as she left.

"Come on Sakura, we're gonna be late!" Ino called as she wove her way through the crowds. Sakura scowled as she followed her blond friend, making no effort at all to quicken her stride.

Lanterns in colors ranging from yellow to purple, to blue to red were strung up above the packed streets, casting rainbow beams of light down onto the ground. The air was filled with the sounds of fast, spirited music as happy civilians talked and celebrated under the bright desert night sky. Along the sides of the streets stalls filled with games and cuisines were filled with people. Sunagakure's annual summer festival was in full swing and all of the village's occupants were enjoying themselves.

All but one girl that is.

Growling slightly in annoyance, Sakura quickened her stride to keep her best friend in view as more people jostled her back and forth. Oh how she despised crowds or more specifically people.

As the duo neared the square situated in the middle of the village the crowds began to thicken and the music amplified in volume. Pushing through one last group of people, Sakura finally managed to reach the large stage built directly in the middle of the plaza.

"Hurry Sak, Anzu will kill us if we're late!" Ino called as she turned right, sticking to the side of the stage as the they finally made it to a small set of double doors that went almost completely unnoticed to the general public.

Swiftly throwing them open, the pair shot down into the off stage area below, Sakura gently shutting the doors behind them.

"You're both late," called a voice.

Both girls had their hands on their knees as they struggled to regain their breaths. Despite not seeing the speaker, both girls already knew whom the voice belonged to. Anzu Narita walked swiftly up to the two young girls, each stride full of grace and elegance.

"You're both due up on stage in less than twenty minutes and neither of you are even close to being ready!" she shrilled, glaring heatedly at them.

The two girls flinched as the older woman yelled at them. Sakura just barely held back a growl as she glared up at the woman through the curtain of her bangs. If it weren't for the hefty sum of money that would be given to all the performers at the end of the night, she wouldn't have even bothered to show up.

"Now go, get dressed quickly."

Turning on her heel, the tall brunette walked away from the two.

Now that her "teacher" was out of ear shot, Sakura let out a hissed as she damned the woman into the deepest pits of hell.

"Cranky old wench," the pinkette hissed.

"Ignore her Sakura, we have to get ready," Ino stated as she started towards the makeup tables that were already surrounded by groups of girls.

Their quiet chatter soon became clear to Sakura as she pushed to her table and sat down, picking up a makeup brush and lightly dusting the pale pink powder over her smooth cheeks.

"I can't believe the prince of Konoha is going to be here!" gushed a dark brown haired girl to Sakura's left.

"I know! I've only ever seen his picture once in a news stand article and I swear, I fell in love then and there!" called back another brown haired girl, although her locks were significantly lighter than the first girls, as she applied hefty amounts of dark purple eye shadow to her lids.

More girls piped up to put in their opinions about the visiting prince but Sakura just snorted. She would never understand the way girls who let their hormones guide them worked, the entire notion was just to far fetch for her to grasp.

Choosing a shimmery gold color, Sakura applied it to her lids before picking up a black eye stick and tracing the edges of her eyes with it. She absolutely despised make up but Anzu refused to let her up onto the stage unless she coated her face with it first. Adding a small coat of peach colored shimmer to the gold, she quickly coated her lashes with mascara and stood from her table.

Gliding over to the rows of clothes, she moved pieces around until she came across her own and took it off the rack. Sakura quickly made her way behind the changing curtain and pulled it closed snuggly behind her.

Slipping her plain and slightly tattered cloths to the floor, she pulled on the uncomfortable belly dancing outfit and turning to look in the mirror at herself.

The top was nothing more than a bra with a single strap that went behind her neck. It was a bright sky blue color and had short gold tassels that hung over the fabric, highlighting the lively shade of blue and longer strings of matching golden tassels hanging down from the bottom of the top to just above her bellybutton in a way that complimented her flat if not slightly skinny stomach and her womanly curves. The bottom was a tightfitting skirt that went only an inch or two below her hips in a downwards-facing triangle shape and continued down to her ankles in sheer with splits on both sides. It was the same bright sky blue color as the top and had identical hanging gold tassels added in in the sheer part. Simple gold sandals with straps over her toes and the middle of her foot finished the outfit.

Glaring at her reflection, Sakura rapped a matching blue scarf with gold embroidering around her face until only her eyes showed. Checking to make sure none of her hair was visible, she exited the changing stall and ventured back into the main area.

"Sakura!"

Turning, Sakura observed Ino as she ran up to her, having just left one of the changing rooms herself. Her outfit was a rich purple color with gold embroidering and tassels, similar to Sakura's except the top had only a small strip of hanging decorations coming from the middle of the piece.

"Don't you just love dressing up," the blond gushed. Unlike her companion, she and most of the other dancers chose only to wear thin sheer scarves around their faces unlike the heavy fabric one Sakura was wearing.

"No," she shot back, glaring menacingly at the blond.

"Alright! Everyone line up!" Anzu called, capturing the attention of all the girls.

Quickly they all assembled before their instructor, eagerly awaiting the chance to dance up on stage in front of their village and their neighboring village of Konoha's royal family.

Slowly, almost dragging her feet, Sakura made her way to the back of the line, glaring at all the squealing girls in front of her.

"Sakura come here!"

Before she could even comprehend what was going on, Sakura found herself being dragged to the front of the line by an overly enthusiastic Ino and pushed into place. Looking up, she literally groaned when she saw that she was the first in line.

Just her luck.

"Alright, start walking," Anzu instructed.

"Go on forehead," Ino practically sang as she shoved her friend hard between the shoulder blades.

Grunting in a very unladylike fashion, Sakura sent a quick glare over her shoulder before starting up the wooden stairs.

Immediately her ears were assaulted by noise as she stepped up onto the stage and her mind took a moment to differentiate it all. Music from a band off in the far left corner of the plaza weaved its way through the air over the loud cheering of the crowd that surrounded the large wooden platform that she and the other girls were about to preform on. The crowd went from the very edge of the stage to well out into the streets that fed into the square. Men, women, and children of all ages watched her with eager eyes as Sakura walked gracefully out onto the front of the stage, followed soon after by the rest of the performers.

Directly in front of Sakura lay another raised platform, except this one was made of concrete and had steps in front leading up to the top. At the top of this platform stood a small line of thrones. In the tallest and grandest one, situated directly in the middle, the king of Suna sat proudly; his queen perched elegantly in a slightly smaller throne directly to his left. Next to the queen, their three children sat in thrones of their own. To his right was the Konoha royal family. King Fugaku sat closest to him, and from then on was his queen and lastly his own two children.

Rich red draperies embroidered with gold designs hung above them, shielding them from the elements. Matching thick, shag carpets had been placed below their feet and between each throne was a short table, most covered with empty or partially full glasses.

Sakura only just managed to hold back a glare as she watched the two families chat with each other, internally cursing them all to hell for what she was about to do for their _'entertainment'._

Just as she heard the beginning few cords of the number, Sakura took one last look at the families and froze when her eyes met bottomless onyx. Gasping softly, Sakura felt herself become lightheaded as she momentarily forgot how to breathe. Her heart tugged and she had to stop herself from jumping off the stage and running towards the person.

Broadening her sights, she realized she was looking into the eyes of the youngest prince of Konoha.

Sasuke glared unhappily out the carriage window as he and the rest of his family entered into Sunagakure between the tall stucco walls.

"Sasuke-chan, at least try to be happy, we'll only be here for a week," Mikoto gently told her youngest son as she quietly observed his unhappy expression.

"Of course okaa-san," Sasuke answered back, although his gaze never left the passing streets outside his window.

Suddenly, the carriage pulled to a stop and a moment later a young tenant who couldn't have been more than sixteen pulled the door open. Sighing, Sasuke waited for the rest of his family to exit before stepping out himself.

Immediately his skin was assaulted by the scorching desert sun and a wave of humidity hit him. The frown on his face deepened as he trailed after the rest of his family into the Sunagakure palace.

It was an enormous structure built with a large square bottom and towers shooting out at seemingly random intervals. It was made out of the same beige colored stucco as the outer wall with the occasional window breaking the tall stretch of material.

Despite the rather drab outside, the inside was like an explosion of color. Skillfully woven tapestries depicting everything from peaceful meadows to gruesome battles were rung up on the walls and on the floor deep Persian carpets in a myriad of colors cushioned the sounds of the small procession's footsteps. Plush couches and armchairs in soft cotton and smooth velvet ranging from deep purples to vibrant reds filled the rooms.

Sasuke passed through the halls with a stoic face, hardily even blinking at his grand surroundings. They weaved through the halls, led by a pair of maids, till they came upon an even more extravagantly furnished room with an extremely tall ceiling.

Design paintings and tapestries covered much of the wall space and plush rugs were practically stacked on top of each other, their vibrant and intricate patterns melding together to form a beautiful display of color. Couches set low to the ground and overly stuffed armchairs were placed facing each other for easy conversation. Huge glassless windows covered the entire far wall and in the top left corner a palm tree set in a large painted pot grew; it's wide leaves almost reaching the towering ceiling.

"Ah, Fugaku, it's so nice to see you," a low voice called.

Rising from one of the couches towards the top right corner of the room was Bishamon, king of Sunagakure.

"As it is good to see you as well Bishamon," replied the king of Konoha.

Deep rust red hair streaked with grey sat atop the sand king's head and as he approached the visiting royals, the weather lines from both age and years of ruling a kingdom becoming visible on his face as he got closer.

"I trust your journey here was pleasant?" started Bishamon.

As the two kings started to converse, movement from the chairs near the couch Bishamon had just vacated caught Sasuke's attention.

Heads of brown, blond, and red crested over the back of the couch and after a moment the faces of Suna's two princes and princess came into view.

Gaara was the first to come to stand behind his father, followed seconds later by his brother and sister.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, Sasuke turned and saw Temari shooting his a flirtatious look. Internally groaned, Sasuke shifted from foot to foot as he listened to his father's conversation.

"Well, I can only assume that you all are very tired from your journey and I would not want your fatigue to interfere will your enjoyment of tonight's festivities," clapping his hands once a pair of maids, both with brown hair of lighter and darker tones, dressed in simple loose black dresses rushed forward, immediately curtseying to their king.

"Bring them to their rooms," Bishamon ordered and both maids bowed their heads respectfully before turning to the Uchiha family, once again curtseying.

"If you would please follow us, we will take you to your quarters," the lighter haired servant spoke quietly, eyes downcast.

"Thank you very much," Mikoto spoke, smiling gently at the young attendant.

A gentle blush ghosted over the youth's face as a shy smile graced her delicate features.

"Well go on," Fugaku ordered and both maids jumped, looking guiltily down at the ground before starting back down the hallway the Uchiha family had just come through.

Turning swiftly on his heel, Sasuke moved quickly to follow the maids and to escape the predatory looks the desert princess was sending his way.

He followed the two girls back down the hallway before they turned left, the opposite direction they had originally came from.

Sasuke observed the stain glass windows and exotic textiles with an air of disinterest as he followed the small girls leading him. They twisted and turned through snaking halls before coming to a winding staircase. The stairwell was vacant of any windows and was lite only by torches stuck into the wall, the flames causing strangely shaped shadows to appear and dance on the desert stone. Reaching the top, they turned right and went straight down the hall before both maids stopped and turning, curtseying low to the ground.

"You majesties, the door to your left is for the king and queen while the door to your right is for prince Itachi-sama. The door beyond that to the right is for prince Sasuke-sama."

Bowing their heads and keeping their eyes on the ground, both attendants rushed to open the doors for the royals.

With a grunt, Fugaku turned and walked swiftly into his chamber, Mikoto following right on his heels.

"At least try to act like civilized will you otouto? You have a few hours to stop brooding before we leave for the festival," Itachi jabbed as he walked past his now steaming younger brother and into his assigned room, nodding politely to the maids before disappearing inside.

Cursing his older brother silently, Sasuke stalked past the two startled young girls and into his room, slamming the heavy wooden door closed behind him.

Sasuke stormed across the room and collapsed onto the bed. The chamber was rather spacious and extremely luxurious. The floor was made of tiles in different shades of blue while the walls were the same beige colored cement as the rest of the palace. Wooden torches places in steel holders lined the walls, casting a warm glow on the room. In the near left corner sat a deep purple L-shaped couch, a short round shaped table situated in front of it. Two plush armchairs, one red with gold designs artfully stitched into it and the other a bright lime green with purple designs, also sat around the low mahogany table. In the right near corner was a giant leaning mirror with a dark, carved wooden frame, a tall dark blue vase full of peacock feathers placed to the left of it. Next to the mirror was another heavy looking wooden door that Sasuke could only assume led to the bathroom.

The far half of the room was elevated a foot higher, a single step dividing the room in half. In the right corner was an enormous bed with dark blue silk sheets and stitched pillows of bright oranges and greens, as well as other colors, placed neatly at the head. The canopy was of the same carved dark wood as the mirror and dark blue drapes that matched the sheets on the bed were tied back with thin red ribbons that with just the slip of the wrist could be untied and the billowy curtains would surround the bed, blocking any occupants from view. Next to the bed was a small nightstand with a single drawer, a candleholder placed on top.

Across from the bed in the far left corner was a large dresser with two columns of wide double black medal handled drawers, four in each column. Just next to it in the meeting corner was a glassless window that allowed the air to circulate easily through the room, a small bookshelf placed just under it. Laid across the whole room were deep, soft carpets stitched with countless colors and enhanced with beautifully intricate designs.

A sigh dragged through the young prince's lips as he rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling.

He had no interest what so ever in going to the summer festival and was dreading when in a few hours his brother would come knocking on his door, telling him it was time to go.

Sasuke also knew that as soon as he got to the festival he would be forced to sit and watch for hours as performers danced and sang while food he didn't want would be shoved down his throat. Oh yes, he was dreading going to this festival.

Releasing another sigh he rolled onto his side, cushioning his head with his left arm as he gazed at the wall. Slowly his eyelids drooped and after a few moments sleep washed over him.

"Wake up otouto."

Blinking open hazy onyx orbs, Sasuke looked up and saw his aniki standing over his bed.

"We leave for the festival in ten minutes so I suggest you get ready." With that said, Itachi turned on his heel and walked swiftly back out of his younger brother's room.

Pushing himself up, Sasuke swung his legs out and placed his feet lightly on the ground. Running a hand through his unruly black locks, the prince pushing himself to his feet and walked leisurely to the bathroom, pulling the weighty wood door open as if it weighed nothing. Turning the tap on, he splashed cold water on his face, whipping away the last dregs of sleep. Taking a towel from the basket next to the faucet, the royal dried his face before placing the towel down on the counter.

Reentering his bedroom, Sasuke took a moment to stop before continuing on and out into the hallway. As he stepped out he noticed his brother leaning against the wall between their rooms with his arms crossed, the sole of one foot placed up against the wall while the other stayed flat on the ground.

A pregnant silence fell over the brothers as they both stood silently, the only light coming from the torches lining the walls and the of the moon filtering in from the window at the far end of the hallway.

"How long do you think we'll be at the festival?" Sasuke asked, breaking the silence.

"Defiantly more than a few hours, probably well into the morning," Itachi replied.

Before Sasuke could answer, the door to their parents' chamber swung open and the king and queen emerged.

"Hello boys," Mikoto greeted, smiling gently at her two sons.

"Mother," Itachi replied while Sasuke just tipped his head in greeting. Both boys gave a nod to their father.

The far off sound of footsteps reached the family's ears and they all turned to look left down the hall. A moment later the same two maids that had guided them earlier appeared from around he bend. They both hastened their strides when they saw the waiting group.

"Your majesties," both said, curtsying as they came to a stop.

"His royal highness and his family are waiting for you by the front entrance," said the girl with the dark hair.

"Take us to them," Fugaku said and both maids bowed their heads before turning and heading back down the hall from which they just come.

They went back down the staircase and through the halls until they all came around a bend and suddenly the front entrance and the royal desert family were in view.

"Fugaku," greeted the king.

"Bishamon," the Konoha ruler replied.

"Ah Mikoto-chan, it's so good to see you again!" said Karura as she stepped out from behind her husband.

"Karura-chan! I'm so glad to see you to," Mikoto said back as the two queens exchanged a friendly but still mannerly hug.

Just as the two women were about to launch into a conversation, the sand king interrupted, "Karura, the carriages are waiting."

"Oh! Right," she replied, returning to his side.

With that said the two families both turned and exited, each moving to their own carriage.

Stepping inside, Sasuke sat down next to the window, mentally gathering together all of his patience in preparation for the next few hours.

With a slight lurch, the carriage started forward and the world started to move outside the window. Happy towns people ambled around on the street, laughing and joking with their friends as they enjoyed the festival. Almost all of them though stopped for at least a moment to watch the grand carriages roll by.

After what felt like only a moment, the carriage once again stopped and a second later the driver opened the door.

Stepping out into the hot desert night, Sasuke looked around at the crowds before following behind his brother as both families made their way to the raised up area where a line of thrones sat.

Taking the one farthest away, the young prince once again surveyed the crowds form his new vantage point.

They were in the front of a square with a large wooden stage in the middle and far off in the top left corner of the plaza a band played. Sighing, he leaning back in his chair and prepared for the night.

Over the next few hours performances varying from fire-eaters to snake tamers took the stage. But it wasn't until the end of the performances that the most people packed into the square. Then, a small trap door in the middle of the stage opened and a petite body dressed in bright blue stepped out. Cheers erupted from the crowd as more girls filed out after the first and positioned themselves around the stage.

The same girl who had been the first to appear on the stage came and stopped directly in front of the youngest prince and for just a moment she lifted her head to observe her surroundings, but that was all it took. Sasuke froze as bright emerald eyes came to look directly into his own. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard the music start but it didn't matter, all he could focus on was the way his heart was thumping and the girl dressed in blue in front of him.

Sakura continued to stare at the prince for another moment before she registered the music starting to play and began to dance.

Ino had always said she was an amazing dancer and she simply let her body move with the music. The steps had become almost automatic for her in the past few week as Anzu drilled them into her again and again. She almost didn't have to think about it anymore.

Sasuke watch as the girl moved to the beat of the music. She flowed like water and each step was graceful and skilled. Each roll of her hips sent shivers down his spine and the outfit she was wearing wasn't helping much either.

Whenever she could, Sakura would sneak a look at the prince and every time she checked, his eyes were always trained on her. Just thinking about those bottomless onyx orbs made her skin crawl, in a good way, and her breath quicken.

The song was ending and as the last crescendo sounded, Sakura spun on her heel as fast as she could before dropping onto one knee, just as the final beat sounded.

Wild cheers erupted from the crowd as Sakura rose slowly to her feet. Quickly all the dancers made for the trap door and Sakura followed behind. But just as she was about to step in, she turned and looked back over her shoulder one last time.

The prince was still looking at her.

Sasuke watched as she slowly rose to her feet, turning and walking swiftly towards the trap door from which she had entered but a few minutes ago. Just as she was about to step below, she paused and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes met his and Sasuke felt his heart beat feaster. Her large, doe like emerald eyes bore into him for a moment before she turned and jumped down below the stage.

As people continued to cheer, Sasuke just sat quietly in his seat. His mother had said they would be staying in Suna for one week. That meant he had one week to find this girl in blue.

**And finished! So did it suck, rock, suck ass, or totally just blow your mind? I want to know! Please review I would really appreciate some positive feedback although friendly criticism is also greatly appreciated but please no flames. The ideas are really rolling for me with this story so hopefully the next update should be relatively soon. Thanks for reading!**


	2. 7 Days

Hazy emerald orbs blinked lazily open as sunlight streamed down onto Sakura's face. Immediately memories of last time flashed into her head. Growling slightly, she rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face in her worn pillow. She was still for a moment before a gentle sigh escaped her lips and gradually she began to sit up.

Her stared blankly at the wall for a moment before a set of endlessly deep onyx eyes flashed in front of her. Shrieking quietly in outrage, she turned and once again buried her face in her pillow. He was just a prince! A stupid, snobby, bratty, gorgeous, sexy- aw!

Shooting upright Sakura glared menacingly out the window. This was getting to be ridiculous.

Rising from her sleeping mat, she walked to the foot of the pad and picked up her clothes. Her mother and sister had already risen and went downstairs so Sakura dropped her raggy old nightgown to the floor unabashed. Slipping into her normal clothes she let out a sigh of relief, they were so much more comfortable than the belly dance costume she had had to wear last night. Black pants that stopped just above her ankles with deep pockets and a slightly baggy black tee shirt with a dark brown vest with two pockets on the breasts. All the pieces were faded and worn with small holes dotting their surfaces, as if they had sustained years of abuse with no hope of being fixed.

Padding softly down the stairs, Sakura saw her mother and younger sister sitting at the kitchen table, each with a small bowl of peaches. Smiling triumphantly knowing that her mother had no grounds to scold her while enjoying the stolen food herself, Sakura descended the rest of the steps and ventured into the kitchen.

"Nee-san, nee-san! You brought peaches, you brought peaches," chanted little Kaiyo, her head of fuchsia hair flying around her as she latched herself onto her older sister.

"Of course I brought you peaches, I know they're your favorite," Sakura said, smiling down at her little sister.

"How did it go last night?"

Sakura stiffened at her mother's voice. The unspoken meaning behind that statement made Sakura want to glare at the woman who gave birth to her.

'_Did anybody see you?'_

Of course no one saw her! Yes, someone had come very close last night but Sakura had never been caught before. In the seven years she had been stealing, from thirteen to twenty years old, never once had she been caught. And the fact that her mother clearly had no faith in her made her blood boil.

"Everything went great last night, okaa-san," she said back.

Sakura knew that for as long as she was a thief, there would always be tension between her mother and herself. It was after all the way her father died.

"I'm leaving," Sakura stated as she delicately removed her little sister from her leg and started towards the door.

"No nee-san don't go," Kaiyo shouted, reattaching herself to Sakura's leg, "I don't want you to ever go!"

Sakura sighed as her heart tugged in her chest. She loved her sister more than her own life but she would never get her involved in any of the things she herself was involved in.

"Let go imouto, I need to go," she said gently.

"No!"

Sakura sighed before looking at her mother. Begrudgingly the older woman got up and gently pulled the toddler off of her oldest child.

Giving her mother a small smile, Sakura quickly turned and walked out the door, jamming her feet into her worn leather sandals and grabbing her black scarf off a small hook as she went.

Shutting the door behind her Sakura looked up at the sky. It was a gentle shade of blue with the occasional fluffy cloud floating lazily through its endless expanse.

Tying the scarf around her waste she took off down the street. Now that the festival was over, the streets were once more crowded although they weren't nearly as bad as the main roads had been last night.

Side stepping around an ox draw cart full of hay, she looked around at the different stores. She needed to pick a place to go to tonight. For while the food she had taken would last them at least another few days, her mother needed more silk to keep her small business going.

But with the resent silk shortage due to the disease that had killed off more than half of the silkworm population in their nation, the material was much harder to steal. Now, her only chose was to buy the material, but silk was also expensive. Sakura needed money.

Wandering casually down the streets, she spotted a small antique shop on a corner. Smiling deviously to herself Sakura approached the store; it was perfect.

Pushing the door open, the happy twinkling of a chime rung through the small wood room.

"Hello there miss," an old woman greeted from behind a counter in the back of the store.

"Hello ma'am."

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" she asked.

"Oh no," the pinkette shook her head lightly, "I'm just looking."

As Sakura walked between the aisles, she looked for anything that she could take without the old woman noticing. Antiques were worth a lot of money but that also meant that they were closer guarded.

Suddenly, a medium glass bowl filled with delicate hair clips caught her attention. Walking over to the bowl she looked at the contents.

Delicately made pins and combs with small jewels and delicate carvings in all different colors sat innocently in their holder. Each one had to be worth at least 200 yen; a spool of silk was only 50 yen.

Looking at all the different clips, Sakura looked for any doubles or ones that looked like each other so that if she took one, chances are it wouldn't be noticed. She picked around through the bowl until she found what she was looking for. Both combs were made of delicate silver with a beautifully crafted lavender and white magnolia flower with small clear gemstones dotted around the bud. The only difference between the two was one had a single sapphire on it.

Looking up Sakura saw the woman get up from the register and go behind a hanging curtain into the back. This was almost two easy.

Quickly Sakura took the one without the sapphire and slipped it into her pocket, knowing that the one with the precious gem would be more easily noticed if it went missing.

Taking her hand out of her pocket, Sakura continued on looking through the store.

The young adult walked out of the aisles and over to a low table full of jewelry. Scanning the rows of delicate jewels, Sakura's eyes stopped on a thin silver necklace. The chain was simple and in the middle was a small, circular shaped emerald. It was simple but in a classically beautiful kind of way. She reached out a shaky hand and gently brushed the very tips of her fingers over the surface.

"Have you found anything dear?" the old woman asked kindly coming out from the back.

For a moment Sakura felt guilt tug at her heart but an image of Kaiyo's unhealthily skinny form flashed before her eyes and just like that the feeling was gone.

"Oh it's all beautiful but I don't think I can afford anything," the young thief replied, feigning a sad expression.

"Oh, what a shame. That necklace would look beautiful on you," the woman said, looking at the necklace Sakura's hand was still on. Suddenly a light appeared in the senior's eyes as an idea struck her.

"Would you like to try it on?"

Sakura snapped her head up to look at the woman, looking for any signs of trickery but finding now in her dark orbs.

"I couldn't possibly try this on, it's far to delicate!"

"None sense, it's much tougher than it looks," said the owner. Reaching past Sakura she picked up the piece of jewelry and undid the clasp, shifting the young girl's pink locks so she could close it.

"Oh, that looks just beautiful you," she cooed. Picking up a mirror from one of the aisle shelves behind her she gave it to the pinkette.

Sakura stood still, shocked to be wearing something so beautiful and priceless. The dark green of the gem matched her eyes perfectly and brought out the color of her pale skin.

"It's beautiful," she gasped quietly, gently rapping her hand around it.

Reaching to undo the clasp the old woman swatted her hands away, "Keep it, it looks far to beautiful on you for you to give it back."

"But ma'am-"

"No buts, you're keeping it."

Sakura swallowed back her response and looked at her feet, the clip in her pocket suddenly feeling very heavy.

"Now be off, I'm sure you have things to do," the old woman winked and shot a knowing look at Sakura's pocket.

Chocking back a gasp, Sakura shot wide emerald eyes at the woman who just smiled in return and walked off without a word.

Unknown to the pinkette, the old woman had been just as poor as her during her youth and it wasn't until she married that poverty finally released its grip on her. As soon as she saw the girl's ripped cloths and skinny arms she knew that the girl with the pink hair was just like her. She would let her go and sell the clip.

Finally managing to collect her breath again, Sakura turned on her heel and practically ran out of the store. Back on the dusty streets, she let herself wonder why the woman would let her go. Or more importantly, why she had been caught. The necklace felt heavy around her throat and Sakura rapped a shaking hand around the shining stone.

Shaking slightly, Sakura squared her shoulders and continued walking down the street before ducking into an ally. Weaving between old crates and over garbage, she twisted around through the narrow back street before stopping at a door partially hidden behind piles of wooden crates. Untying the scarf from around her waist she quickly rapped it around and around her face until the only things visible were her eyes. Knocking twice, she waited. Slowly, a small rectangular shaped patch slid back, revealing a pair of shadowed blue eyes.

"Password?" a deep voice asked.

"Tiger lily," she said back.

With a grunt, the hole closed only for the door to open a moment later.

Walking past the towering man who had opened the door, Sakura continued down the dark hallway. Coming to a narrow, winding staircase she started down. For a few minutes the only thing she could hear was the sound of her own footsteps and the quiet trickle of water in the pitch-blackness. But after a while, the quiet murmuring of voices reached her ears and eventually a dim light started to fill the tunnel until, finally, she reached the bottom. In front of her was a large room that stretched on for several hundred feet, filled with rows of people. Sunagakure's black market, or the Burrow as locals liked to call it.

Sakura weaved her way around people and between tables as she continued further into the torch lit market. Suddenly, she veered to the left and approached a table manned by an elderly woman with grey hair and gnarled hands.

"Oonishi-san," Sakura greeted with a blank voice.

"You've returned. So what do you have for me today?"

The woman's voice was raspy and as dry as the sand that covered the ground outside. Her figure was slightly hunched and when she walked it was more of a slow shuffle. Despite this, her eyes were as bright and keen as they were the day she was born.

Sakura reached into her pocket and took out the clip, gently placing it on the table. Immediately the woman's eyes light up even brighter and her hands shot out to examine the delicate accessory.

"Damn, where'd you manage to find something like that?"

Both women turned to see a towering blond haired boy approaching them.

"Ah Naruto-kun how nice of you to come and visit," the old woman cooed.

"Kaori-baa-chan," he nodded, although his eyes were looking at the masked girl.

Both of them were locals who had been coming to the Burrow the years, although no one has ever been able to learn the identity of the masked girl.

"So green eyes where did you get that clip?" he asked again.

After many failed attempts of getting her to reveal her name, Naruto had simply resorted to simply calling her green eyes after the girl's one visible feature.

Sakura shrugged casually, "Just from this place."

"The same place you got that necklace?" he asked, spotting the gem tied around her neck.

Immediately her hands shot up and she tucked the pendant into the folds of her clothes.

"Yeah, same place."

"My dear," Kaori called, trying to get the attention of the girl.

"Yes Oonishi-san?"

"I'm willing to give you 250 yen for this. What do you say?"

Sakura was happy her face was covered because she wouldn't have wanted anyone to see the mixed look of surprise and joy spreading across it. That price was more than she had hoped for.

"Deal," she said.

Ducking down, Kaori opened a small chest hidden under her table, revealing small burlap bags full of yen. Taking out a bag, she shook the contents out on the table and proceeded to count out the agreed amount.

Sakura watched the old woman carefully count out the amount with sharp eyes. She had come to this woman many a times and never before had she tried to sneak her way out of giving the agreed amount in a trade. Despite that, Sakura still watched carefully, people down here weren't exactly your definition of trustworthy.

Kaori quickly gathered in her hand the correct amount before putting the coins back into the bag and dumping what was left into the chest.

"Here you are," she said, handing the bag over.

Sakura took the sack from the old woman's hands and stuffed it deep into her pants pocket. Nodding once more to Kaori, she turned on her heel and began to walk back towards the exit.

"Oi! Wait up!"

The sound of Naruto's heavy footsteps alerted Sakura that he was following her and just a few seconds later he appeared at her side.

"So you never answered my question," he said.

She stayed silent.

"Where'd you get all that jewelry from?"

"Like I told you, I just got it at this place."

"A place where?"

"None of your business."

By now the two had made it back to the stairs and walking side by side they started the long climb back to the top.

"Ah come on green eyes, I promise I won't rob the place."

"Please Naruto. We're thieves, stealing's what we do."

She was right and they both knew it. If she told Naruto the store she had found all the precious jewels at, no doubt he would try to rob it. Normally Sakura wouldn't care what he did, but the thought of the older woman's kind but knowing smile made her want to protect the shop's identity.

"Yeah well, it doesn't mean that I'd rob the place," he said, crossing his arms behind his head.

Sakura shot him a withering look that went unnoticed in the pitch black before speeding up her pace. She had had enough of talking to this guy.

"Hey green eyes wait up!"

But she was already getting ahead of him. Breaking into a trot, Naruto followed her up the rest of the staircase. Just as he reached the top, the sound of the heavy entrance door opening and closing met his ears.

'_Shoot!' _running forward, he threw open the door and looked around. A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye sent him barreling to the right. Twisting and dodging around the garbage littering the path, Naruto caught sight of a dark brown vest and black pants blending into the masses. Running full speed, he shot out towards the crowds, trying to keep the girl in view. But just as he reached the street, he collided hard into another body and both were sent hurtling to the ground.

"What the hell you teme!"

"What the hell you baka!"

At the simultaneous shout, Naruto finally opened his eyes to look at whom he had run into. Imagine his surprise when he saw the youngest prince of Konoha staring back at him.

Despite that, Naruto growled, "Now I completely lost green eyes thanks to you."

Sasuke scowled at the blond sitting in front of him.

He had awakened at the crack of dawn to go searching for the mysterious girl from the festival. Had he managed to find a few dozen girls with green eyes, but none were the same; none of them looked like sparkling emeralds that could pull him in with nothing more than a glance.

And he had found her. He was walking down the street when a person burst out of an alley. Their face had been covered completely except for a small slit where their eyes showed through. It was when Sasuke caught a glimpse of those eyes; he knew he had found the girl.

But by that point she was already turning away. The only other things he was able to make out where the colors of her cloths and an emerald necklace around her neck before she was gone into the crowd.

"Is green eyes a girl?"

Sasuke was surprised by his own voice as his mind finally focused enough to realize that he had asked a question.

"Huh? Um, yeah, green eyes is a girl. Why?" Naruto asked warily. He was surprised when the dark haired boy looked him dead in the eye and said,

"I think we're looking for the same person."

A heavy silence fell between the two as around them people of all classes pondered along the market street, each with a destination and goal set in their mind.

"Well then, do you want to start looking now?" Naruto suddenly said.

Sasuke snapped his head up to regard the other boy with wary eyes.

"Why would you help me?" he asked suspiciously.

Naruto looked at the boy in front of him like he was stupid.

"Well isn't it obvious," he asked, "We're both looking for green eyes and chances are if we're both looking for her we'll find her sooner. Duh!"

Giving him another blank stare, Sasuke silently thought through his choses. As of now he only had a week- seven short days- to find a single person in an entire village while only knowing the color of their eyes. Now, the boy who was offering him help on the other hand already knew this person, even if it wasn't well. He also was familiar with the layout of the Suna, unlike the prince himself.

Tipping his aristocratic face back to look at the sky, his scowled deepened at the position of the sun. It was already near six and he was no closer to finding the woman who had been plaguing his thoughts than before.

"Hn, fine," the prince bit out.

A goofy grin spread itself across Naruto's face as he grinned at the boy in front of him. While he was well aware of the boy's high status and had been since the first clear look he got at him, he saw no reason why he should treat him any different than anyone else he met on the street. He didn't even act like royalty at all- he just acted like a teme.

"Well let's shake on it then. I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said, sticking his calloused hand out.

Gripping the other's hand in a firm shake, Sasuke replied, "Sasuke Uchiha."

As they released each other's hands, the duo finally rose to their feet and casually brushed themselves off.

"So," Naruto started as the two began walking down the road in the direction their mystery girl had disappeared in," do you want to start looking today or-"

"We'll start today, I don't have time to waste," Sasuke cut in.

Naruto scrunched his face at the boy's reply and thought it over for a moment. "What? Do you have a dead line or something?"

"My family and I leave to return to our country in seven days."

"Oh."

Another silence fell over them as they continued to scan the streets for any sign of the elusive girl.

Sakura pushed open the door of the fabric store and stepped inside. Lining every inch of every wall and lined in rows along the floor were spools of fabric in every color. Reels of wool, silk, cotton, and many others seemed to mix together in swirls of turquoise, purple, blue, yellow and every other color imaginable all around her.

"Hello how may I-"

Sakura turned to assistant just as the woman's died off in disgust. She was of middle age, dressed in fine silks and fine jewelry. Her dark eyes took in the younger girl's in obvious disgust before turning to her with a scowl.

"I'm sorry, but you're only allowed to be in this store if you intend to buy something."

By the tone of her voice, Sakura knew the woman assumed that she couldn't afford any of the things in her shop and with a smirk the pinkette turned on her heel and started looking through the aisles.

She heard the shopkeeper shriek behind her but she paid her no heed as she continued looking for a good spool. Sakura moved gracefully through the aisles, stopping occasionally to look at a particular reel of cloth before moving on to the next.

The shop owner followed her every move with silently raging eyes. How dare a dirty peasant child like her walk into her store and not only act like she could actually _afford _to buy any of her products but then have the gal to blatantly disrespect her as well.

Finally, Sakura picked up a reel of simple beige silk and walked back to the counter.

"I already told you, you have to be able to _afford _my products. I don't give scraps to strays," she sneered, looking away.

There was a heavy thunk as something hit the counter and the owner swiveled her head slightly to look through the corner of her eye. Immediately the rest of her body spun around to stare open mouthed at the sizable bag of yen sitting there.

Sakura opened the sack and pulled out fifty yen from within. Placing the amount on the counter she pulled the spool closer to her and turned away, taking the bag of yen with her.

"Che, don't judge a book by its cover."

With that she walked away.

"Wait miss!" the woman exclaimed, dashing around the counter and rushing up to the girl just as her hand reached to push open the door. Lunging forward, she put a manicured hand on the shorter girl's bony shoulder.

"Please, my behavior was completely unacceptable! Now, there's no need to be so hasty in leaving," she tried to reason.

Sakura watched as the woman's eyes would look down to the sack of money strapped to her thigh before flicking back up to look into her eyes again with a fake smile plastered on her face.

Giving a grunt she pulled her shoulder out of the woman's grip and exited the store.

Overhead, the sky had changed from bright blue to a dark indigo with streaks of orange and violet dashed through as night quickly began to fall.

"You need to go back now; it's not safe for someone like you to be out on the streets this late at night."

Sasuke looked at the blond who in turn was looking at the sky. Turning his bright blue eyes to clash with the royal's onyx orbs, he regarded him seriously.

"We still have six days to find her. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at eight in the plaza and we can keep looking from there."

Slowly, although reluctant to do so, Sasuke nodded his consent to the blonde's idea, "Alright."

With another nodded the pair broke off. One headed back towards the more crowded streets where in the distance the castle loomed ahead. The other headed back into the dark alleys where smaller; more falling apart homes where crowded together.

As he walked, Naruto silently contemplated the situation. They had found nothing on her so far, not even a clue. Whoever green eyes was, she knew how to keep her identity a secret better than anyone else he had ever seen.

Reaching an old wooden barn that looked like it was about to fall to the ground, Naruto walked through the hole where the front door would be if there were a door to fill it.

"Yo," he called as he entered.

"Yo!" he heard called back to him from all throughout the structure. Other boys, all of the same age as Naruto, came down to greet the new arrival. They were all dirty and dressed in ripped or ill fitting clothing. Their hair was shaggy and unkempt and each had at least a few scars marring their features. For they were all of the same background- runaways and orphans who had been desperately trying to find a home on the unforgiving streets before finally stumbling upon this place.

After greeting everyone Naruto quickly slipped away and up a ladder onto the upper levels of the barn. Blankets had been thrown onto the dirty floors and in the rafters sheets had been strung to create hammocks. Jumping up, Naruto firmly gripped onto one of the beams before swinging himself into one of the hammocks.

Outside night had already fallen, shrouding the world into darkness. Below him, Naruto could hear the other boys talking and laughing around the light of a single lantern. A soft breeze had come through to caress his face through the glassless window and Naruto turned to look through it out onto the sleeping village.

With a sigh, he rolled over and murmured quietly, "Damn green eyes, what did you do to get a freaking prince's attention?"

**As you can see I'm not the most reliable updater but I try to make up for it with the chapters :-)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorite/alerted this story and thanks a bunch for the support!**

**Review!**


End file.
